Crews battling blaze in north-central Washington

View full sizeTodd Pease/Incident Management TeamThe Pole Creek fire southwest of Sisters continues to burn but firefighters have it under control.

The latest wildfire in the Northwest has continued to grow, scorching nearly 5,000 acres southwest of Omak, Wash., in the north-central part of the state.

The fire, ignited on Tuesday on the Colville Indian Reservation, has destroyed two homes and eight outbuildings, forced the evacuation from dozens of households and 30 children boarding at the Paschal Sherman Indian School. A Type 2 incident management team has taken control of the firefighting efforts. It had about 150 firefighters last night but more have been ordered.

“Last night there were two crews out so we have night shift and day shift now,” said Mark Grassel, a spokesman for the incident management team.

He said 600 to 800 firefighters could be arriving over the next few days.

The blaze, which is under investigation, is actively burning through grass, brush and timber in steep, rugged terrain. It is zero percent contained.

The other big fires in the Northwest are largely in holding patterns, with crews focused for the most part on monitoring and mop-up.

The Table Mountain fire near Cle Elum, Wash., ignited Sept. 8 by lightning, is now 90 percent contained at more than 42,000 acres. Many mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted though residents in Liberty are on alert. Several roads in the area are still closed.

The Wenatchee complex of fires, started by lightning on Sept. 9, are still 55 percent contained. And the Cascade Creek fire, located on the south slope of Mount Adams, is 65 percent contained at about 20,000 acres.

In Oregon, the Pole Creek fire southwest of Sisters remains 85 percent contained about about 26,500 acres. The air quality has improved in Sisters, according to the Department of Environmental Quality. The air there is not rated “moderate” compared to “unhealthy.”